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After a day of work at the Ministry, Hermione bought herself a simple vanilla cake and set about celebrating her 25th birthday. She sat down on her cold kitchen stool, and cut into the small cake with the cheap plastic knife that came with the purchase.
Then she realized that she forgot to put in the candles.
She hesitated for a moment, she had already cut the cake. You don't put candles on a cake that has already been cut into right?
Well, she was a grown-up now and adults didn't really need candles right?
No. Her mind argued as it flashed multiple memories of celebrations for her parents' and grandmother's birthdays with the candles burning brightly. The warm memories filled with cheer and relatives were a stark contrast to her own cold celebration.
It had felt like growing up and being an adult when she first realized that she would be spending her birthday alone. Just an afterthought, since most of her friends already had arrangements for the date and her parents were... no longer on speaking terms with her.
But... This was the first time she had ever celebrated her birthday so very alone. The thought settled like a heavy stone pressing down on her chest.
Hermione bit her cheek as she hesitated with her knife still hovering above the cake. Finally, she put it aside, got the candles and lit them with a swoosh of her wand.
It didn't matter that there was no one around to celebrate with her. She would celebrate for herself.
So she sang quietly,
"Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to Hermione
Happy Birthday to me"
The fire on the candles flickered in the little room and she made a quick wish before blowing out the candles and cutting herself a slice of the cake. It was a decent cake. Mildly sweet and usually vanilla was her favorite flavor, today it just felt bland and she didn't even feel like finishing her piece.
Honestly, she knew that she was an adult now and that she shouldn't expect grand celebrations for her birthday. But looking at the empty apartment, she couldn't help the unpleasant thought that surely at least one of her friends could have remembered that it was her birthday and not make other arrangements for that day?
'Or maybe they did remember that it was her birthday, her mind argued, 'After all she did remind them it was coming up. She even got notes wishing her happy birthday. It's just that... They choose to go out with their other friends instead of celebrating with her.'
Her eyes trembled as she tried to ignore the hurt rising within her. It was fine. She didn't need all the fuss of a celebration.
Actually, she just wanted Harry and Ron with her.
They didn't even have a picture of her with the birthday cake this year. Well, she could take one herself, she was a witch. She had a wand. She knew the spell.
She could have tried to call her other friends. They won't exactly have refused to celebrate with her.
'But if you need to call them and they don't even remember your birthday, what is even the point?' Her inner voice argued.
She had remembered their birthdays. Planned their presents and surprise parties. Celebrated their birthdays. Been there for them.
Was it really so much to ask that they be here for her?